Lune launches UAE’s first personal finance management app
The company is aiming to improve financial literacy in the region.
Middle East
Singapore start-up Bambu acquires investment and trading wealthtech Tradesocio
Bambu plans to tap into Tradesocio’s presence across EMEA and India.
Gulf Bank picks Murex’s MX.3 treasury management platform
Kuwait-based firm is looking to become a “fully integrated digital bank”.
Cities and Villages Development Bank picks ICS Banks
Jordanian bank replacing legacy system with cloud deployment.
Al Baraka waves goodbye to IT boss Albalooshi after 12 years
Ahmed Albalooshi leaves the Bahraini bank after more than a decade leading its IT operations.
Capital Bank picks Codebase to launch new neobank in Jordan and Iraq
The new offering will be powered by Codebase’s Digibanc platform.
Commercial Bank of Kuwait picks TCS treasury solution
The Middle Eastern bank is looking to transform its treasury operations.
Saudi Arabia grants first digital banking licences
STC Pay and ARTAR given green light by central bank.
BaaS start-up Unit raises $51m in Series B round
The company also announced the launch of its new service Unit Go.
Mashreq Bank picks Comarch wealth management platform
UAE bank seeks levelling up for wealth clients.
Mastercard and Visa pick new partnerships to drive biometric payments
Mastercard partners with FinGo following Visa’s deal with ADIB.
BNPL firm Zip extends acquisition spree, buys up Twisto and Spotii
The Australian firm has spent $105 million on its new buyouts.
Forter raises $300m in Series F to invest in fraud prevention tech
New York-based firm has raised $525 million in total since 2013 and is now valued at $3 billion.
Barclays hires Standard Chartered’s Demery to support fintech clients
Demery takes over fintech partnerships in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Investbank Jordan seeks leap forwards in card offerings with i2c Inc deal
The bank is focused on improved card offerings for personal and corporate customers.
ThetaRay raises $31m to fuel cross-border payments expansion
Cybersecurity firm has big ambitions for changing the cross-border sector.
Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank picks FIS Open Payment Framework
UAE-based bank seeks to capitalise on customers paying digitally.
Video: pick of the week – Bahrain to pilot digital currency; Facebook shifts crypto venture to US
A top pick of stories from the world of finance and tech in bitesize video format, twice a week.
Bahrain’s central bank to pilot digital dollar with JP Morgan and Bank ABC
Bank ABC’s deputy group CEO calls this a “landmark pilot”.
Mashreq takes Oracle components around existing Flexcube core
Mashreq Bank is seeking to improve its transaction banking proposition.
Kuwait International Bank announces Mobiquity as digital transformation partner
Mobiquity will provide strategy, design and engineering services for digital banking.
Blockchain compliance firm Securrency raises $30m in Series B round
The new injection will help Securrency’s expansion in the UAE and the US.
Mizrahi-Tehafot Bank picks up Finastra payments solution
Israel-based bank extends partnership with Finastra.
Tamara scores MENA’s largest Series A round with $110m investment
The BNPL provider aims to reach all GCC markets by the end of the year.
Saudi Arabia launches new real-time payments system with IBM and Mastercard
The kingdom enlisted the help of IBM and Mastercard for the roll-out.
Emirati tycoon Mohamed Alabbar to chair UAE challenger Zand
Zand is still waiting on its application for a full UAE banking licence.
Stripe takes first step into Middle East with UAE expansion
Digital payment transactions in the UAE during 2020 reached $18.5 billion.
Spac led by ex-Commerzbank CEO trading on Amsterdam’s Euronext
The blank-check firm has already sold 41.5 million shares at €10 each.
Banque Saudi Fransi upgrades treasury systems with Finastra
Saudi Arabian bank goes live on new version of Finastra platform.
Policybazaar raises $75m to power Middle East expansion
Indian insurance firm aims to sell $1 billion in contracts by 2022.
Emirates NBD chief digital officer leaves to pursue entrepreneurship
Evans Munyuki resigns after brush with COVID-19.
First Iraqi Bank selects ICS Banks core banking tech from ICSFS
Start-up bank FIB aims to transform the banking sector in Iraq and the wider MENA region.
YAP throws hat into UAE’s digital banking ring
The start-up’s partner is National Bank of Ras Al Khaimah.
PayPal buys Israeli crypto wallet Curv for its new blockchain unit
PayPal expects the acquisition to close in the first half of 2021.
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